Mildred King and Remington King

Mildred Warner King, who ran Rem and Mil’s restaurant on Newtown Lane in East Hampton with her husband, Remington Woodward King, for many years, died on Aug. 20 in Fredricksburg, Va. She was 95.
Her husband died in 2009 at the age of 96.
The Kings were both born and raised in East Hampton. Mr. King, born on Oct. 18, 1913, to Selden Leroy King and the former Mary Edna Bryant, grew up on Egypt Lane. The land that eventually became the Nature Trail was his backyard.
Mrs. King was born on April 16, 1917, to Benjamin Addison Warner and the former Elsie Pearl Foster. She grew up on McGuirk Street. Mrs. King and her mother liked to cook, her daughter, Fern Peterson, wrote in obituary material. “They made pot cheese, which Mil and her sisters sold and delivered to neighbors for a nickel.” She also enjoyed clamming with her father on Napeague.
As a young man, Mr. King was known around town for delivering telegrams and groceries, Ms. Peterson wrote.
The two met at East Hampton High School and “were inseparable ever since,” Ms. Peterson said yesterday.
They were married in 1936 and in 1945, Mr. King was drafted into the Army. He trained as a tank crewman, but ended up serving as a surgical technician stationed in Italy. When he returned home, he worked at Bohack’s grocery at the corner of Newtown Lane and Main Street. Mrs. King worked cleaning houses and doing laundry for summer residents. In 1950, the couple worked together at Speed’s Restaurant on Newtown Lane and in 1955, they opened their own restaurant called Rem and Mil’s.
“It was known for its home cooking, and was one of the most popular family restaurants around,” Ms. Peterson wrote. “Some of the old East Hampton dishes, such as samp, clam pie, oyster stew, and bay scallops were specialties.” Mr. King “would get a kick out of cooking fresh eels brought in by the local fisherman because they would dance in the frying pan,” Ms. Peterson recalled. During storms, the couple always kept the restaurant open so electrical workers would have a place to find good food after a long day. They stayed open on Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day, as well.
Mr. King was a volunteer fireman on truck No. 5, as well as an accomplished photographer and member of the Guild Hall Camera Club, while Mrs. King was involved in Rebekah Lodge, an international service-oriented organization.
“She never missed an opportunity to cook or bake something,” her daughter recalled, “especially during holidays for those living alone.” Mrs. King took up art later in life.
After 20 years, the couple retired from the restaurant business. Mr. King then worked at the East Hampton Dry Cleaners on Newtown Lane, until the 1970s when the couple moved to Sebastian, Fla. There, they enjoyed cooking and helping in the kitchen in their retirement village.
On one of their cross-country R.V. trips, Mr. King fell ill, and the couple ended up staying in Phoenix, where Mrs. King cared for her husband. In 2001, their daughter moved them to Fredericksburg.
In addition to Ms. Peterson, the couple is survived by three grandchildren.